One dead after fight in Clovis

A Clovis man is in jail after a fight early Tuesday morning turned fatal.

Ricky Goodman, 42, was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on an open count of murder connected to the early morning death of Jimmy Stotts, 61.

Goodman is in the Curry County Adult Detention Center on a $250,000 cash only bond.

Ricky Goodman

Magistrate Judge Duane Castleberry scheduled a pretrial conference for 9 a.m. Oct. 27, but District Attorney Andrea Reeb noted intent to file a continuance until the next day, when a grand jury could be convened.

According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in magistrate court:

• At 12:08 a.m. Tuesday, the Clovis Police Department received a 911 call that there was a “man down,” identified as Stotts.

• Curry County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene, a trailer on the 1800 block of East Howard. Wilma Stotts said her son, Goodman, stabbed her husband.

• Stotts died shortly after an ambulance arrived on scene.

• A man named Calvin Jaramillo, who was asked to move his truck during the event, told a deputy there was a knife in the front seat that wasn’t his. The knife, which had a reddish brown stain on the handle, was recovered in the event it was connected to the incident. Jaramillo said he lived in a garage by the trailer, and that Goodman and Jimmy Stotts had argued recently.

• Goodman was located about 1:40 p.m. at a house a few blocks southeast of the East Howard location and taken into custody without incident. Goodman told police there was an argument, which eventually turned physical, about using his credit card to get money for drugs.

Goodman, represented by Anthony Filosa of the public defender’s office, appeared via videoconference and invoked his right to remain silent during the arraignment. Castleberry instructed Goodman to avoid all contact with witnesses in the case.

Billy Johnson, a half-brother to Goodman, attended the arraignment to support Goodman though he could not speak with him.

Johnson said he felt the incident was an unfortunate combination of alcohol, drugs and emotional abuse, and believes his brother may have a legitimate self-defense argument.

“It could have went either way,” Johnson said of the fight. “I know my brother; he ain’t no killer.”